President Duterte signed in July last year Republic Act 11054 or the BOL, which will create the expanded area of autonomy that will be called Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or BARMM.

The December 2018 survey also found 78 percent of Muslims who said they know about the BOL, of whom 10 percent claimed to have “extensive” knowledge, 35 percent have “partial but sufficient” knowledge and 33 percent have “only a little” knowledge about it.

Twenty-two percent said they have “almost none or no knowledge” about the BOL.

Compared to other religions, those with at least “a little” knowledge about the BOL was 65 percent among Catholics, 61 percent among Iglesia ni Cristo and 61 percent among other Christians.

Those with at least “partial but sufficient” knowledge about the BOL were highest among Muslims at 45 percent, followed by Catholics at 22 percent, other Christians at 22 percent and Iglesia ni Cristo at 17 percent.

About three out of five or 63 percent of adults in Mindanao also know about the BOL, the SWS said.

This is composed of five percent with extensive knowledge, 16 percent partial but sufficient knowledge and 41 percent only a little knowledge. The remaining 22 percent said they have almost none or no knowledge about the BOL.

It found 30 percent of adults in Mindanao saying the MILF is capable of governing the BARMM (consisting of 19 percent saying definitely capable and 10 percent somewhat capable) and 38 percent saying they are not capable (consisting of 11 percent somewhat not capable and 28 percent definitely not capable), for a net capability score of -9.

Nationwide, net approval of the BOL was higher among those with extensive knowledge about it, at +43 and among those who say the MILF is definitely capable of governing the BARMM, at +60, the SWS said.

Palace defends survey results

Malacañang said the survey results reflected Muslims’ desire to end terrorism and achieve peace in Mindanao.

“The Bangsamoro people have enough of war, terrorism and poverty. They hunger for peace and thirst for development in Mindanao,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said.

“We hope that the aspiration of our Muslim brothers and sisters for a peaceful and progressive Bangsamoro region will commence its realization following the ratification of the BOL,” he added.

Panelo chided Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Ma. Sison, who had claimed that the “yes” vote would win because of vote-buying.

“He is once again talking nonsense by engaging in a delusional analysis on a political event that further exposes his ignorance,” Panelo said.

He said voters would ratify the BOL not because of vote-buying and presidential influence but because of Muslims’ belief that it would yield development in Mindanao. – With Alexis Romero

China has rejected as “unwelcome” the call of the United Kingdom, France and Germany on the South China Sea claimants to respect the arbitration ruling of 2016 and the rules-based framework laid out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Philippines and China effectively consigned to limbo on Thursday the UNCLOS-based arbitral ruling in 2016 on their maritime disputes, and moved to explore instead a wider Code of Conduct for resolving conflicts in the South China Sea.

It would be a betrayal of public trust should the Duterte administration accept China’s rejection of the landmark ruling that invalidated its sweeping claim over the South China Sea, parts of which is the West Philippine Sea, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said Saturday.